NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi will be given the Covid-19 vaccine in the second stage of the ongoing mass vaccination drive in the country. Sources said that the Prime Minister all other chief ministers will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine dose after the first phase of mass vaccination ends.
The move will instil confidence among the general public amid concerns over the efficacy and safety of the two Covid-19 vaccines approved by the Drugs Controller General of India.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on January 16 launched India’s vaccination drive against the coronavirus. Terming it as the “world’s largest vaccination programme” covering the entire length and breadth of the country, the government said that a total of 3,006 session sites across all states and Union territories were virtually connected during the launch.
PM Narendra Modi had urged citizens not to ignore the second dose of the vaccine and told them to ignore rumours about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Prime Minister said that there are only three countries—India, the US and China—that have a population of more than 30 crore people. “In the first round itself, 3 crore people, which is more than the population of at least 100 countries of the world, are being vaccinated. This needs to be taken up to 30 crore in the second round when the elderly and people with serious co-morbidities will be vaccinated,” PM Modi said.
The Union Health Ministry said that 1,91,181 people were vaccinated across India on the first day of the drive. The Prime Minister asked citizens not to ignore the second dose of the vaccine and said that 30 crore people would be inoculated by the second phase of vaccination.
The Centre also issued guidelines to states and Union Territories. It said vaccination is allowed only for those who are above the age of 18 years. Women who are pregnant or not sure of their pregnancy and lactating mothers should not receive the jibe.
India registered 15,158 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the overall count to 1,05,42,841. The country’s toll rose by 175 to 1,52,093. India’s active cases stood at 2,11,033, while the number of recoveries reached 1,01,79,715.
